HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??

The short story…Honestly, it just fell into my lap!!

My New Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens

But, by now you must know me better than that!!  Have you ever been treated to the “short story” at Photographyfree4all?  I didn’t think so.  But in reality there is a somewhat amazing story behind this new acquisition.

I think everyone who owns a Canon DSLR begins to think…even dream…about owning a professional “L” series lens to compliment your photography!  Even though I totally agree with Bob Zeller when he recently told me the “L” lenses were wonderful, but not necessary to produce great images.  And…well, he’s Bob…so of course, he’s right!  I always listen to Bob!  🙂  But when an opportunity falls into your lap, sometimes you have to jump on it!  And, that’s what I did.

Several months ago, I began to talk to the guys at my favorite camera store here in southern California about the “L” lenses.  Of course they raved about their quality – and rightly so!  I’ve learned first hand that these lenses are amazing!  But, with amazing comes $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ CHA-CHING!!!!!!!!!  I was interested in a wide-angle lens that would enhance my landscape photography.  I also determined I would be better served with a wide-angle zoom lens as opposed to a wide-angle prime lens.  That left me with two choices: The canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM and the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM.  Now since I didn’t have a bazillion dollars to spend, I began to focus on the 17-40mm f/4L which would still cost nearly $1,000.00 with tax.  I had to find a less expensive alternative.

So, I began to peruse Craigslist for lenses.  As it turned out about the same time I began to follow Craigslist, a news story broke about a man who had met with a potential seller on Craigslist and was promptly robbed of the cash he had brought to purchase the item.  Hmm…

There was also some reservations about paying cash for a lens without actually having a professional check it out for hidden damage.  That was a troubling issue for me.

In the meantime, I met a man who worked for a local corporate construction company.  They were building a commercial complex near Palm Springs, and wanted to capture some of the construction stages for a future advertising brochure.  So in December 2010, they purchased a lens for that specific purpose.  Within a few weeks they realized they were not going to have the time to photograph the complex themselves, and contracted a professional photographer for the job.  Now they have a brand new lens, still in the box, with the receipt, and didn’t know exactly what they were going to do with it.  So, it sat on a shelf for a month or so. 

Then one day, they decided they might as well sell it for whatever they could get.  And that’s when I learned first hand about being in the right place at the right time when a big corporation wanted to get rid of something and didn’t really care about the price.

How did it happen?  Honestly, it just fell into my lap!! 

Update on what’s in my bag?  By the way, I had to purchase a new bag when I acquired this lens.  Now I have a few empty spaces for future “dream” lenses!  🙂  Oh yeah…what’s in my bag?

• EOS Canon 50D Camera
• EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Zoom Lens
• EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Zoom Lens
• EF 50mm f/1.8 II Prime Lens
• Nikon L110 Back-up Camera
• Hoya 72 mm UV Filter
• Hoya 72 mm Circular Polarizing Filter
• Hoya 77 mm UV Filter
• Hoya 77 mm Circular Polarizing Filter
• Hoya  52 mm Close-up Filters +1, +2, +4 Diopter
• Tamrac 5788 Evolution 8 Camera Backpack

Congratulations to Car54 for reasearching my camera equipment and recognizing in this post that I must have acquired a new lens if the image was captured at 17mm.  YAY!!  You win…

🙂

~ by photographyfree4all on March 15, 2011.